Motorola's latest handset - Moto Z Play
September 11, 2016
Lenovo has announced a more budget friendly version of the Moto Z smartphone, called the Moto Z Play. It is a semi-modular which has a variety of Mods that can be strapped onto the back of the smartphone for extra functionality. Timed with the Moto Z Play launch is a new mod: the Hasselblad True Zoom camera.
Internal Hardware
The Moto Z Play is a thicker-than-average phone that takes several cues from the flat design of its Moto Z counterparts. It measures 156.4 x 76.4 x 6.99mm and is 165g.
The new Moto Z Play has a 5.5-inch full HD Super AMOLED display with a 1080p FHD resolution. Running on Andriod 6.0.1 powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor (2GHz octa-core), coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage space. There will be a nano supported dual-SIM option along with microSD slot support. The Moto Z Play also reintroduces the 3.5mm headphone jack to the rejoice of the audiophiles.
Camera
The Moto Z Play has a 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture with dual-LED flash while the front-facing selfie-cam has a wide-angle lens on a 5MP sensor with its own LED flash. It combines laser autofocus and phase detection autofocus that translates into zero shutter lag. The Play is capable of recording 4K and 1080p footage at 30fps and 120fps slow motion video at 720p.
Hasselblad True Zoom Mod
The new Hasselblad True Zoom Mod is a collaboration between Lenovo and the legendary Swedish camera maker. The 12-megapixel camera add-on that magnetically clips onto the Moto Z Play’s back. Once attached, the Hasselblad True Zoom offers an improved Xenon flash and 10x optical zoom with a 4.5-45 mm lens. The addition of optical zoom means that, with the add-on attached, the Play will be one of a select few phones capable of taking decent photos of objects at long distances.
The mod also enables the option to shoot in RAW format — the setting isn’t available when you take the mod off. Like the Moto Z series, the mod looks industrial. It acts as a camera grip, offers a dedicated camera launch button, a zoom toggle, a shutter button, and a flash.
Other MotoMods that can used on Moto Z Play are Power Pack, JBL SoundBoost which is a speaker module, and Moto Insta-Share projector, which lets users project their smartphone screen on the walls.
50 hrs Battery life
Motorola is promising 50 hours of mixed use from the Moto Z Play battery thanks to the 3510 mAh battery capacity. When the Moto Z Play battery does deplete, it charges back up pretty quickly care of its included TurboPower charger. Motorola promises 10 hours of power after 15 minutes of charging. A built-in Battery Saver mode is another option for getting out more screen time, but it comes at the cost of reduced performance.
Other Features
There's also a fingerprint reader, a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfers, and a liquid-repellent nano-coating. The coating does not waterproof he phone but good enough to protect accidental spills, splashes or light rain and not full submersions.
The Moto Z Play comes in a two colors so far: black with a silver frame and white with a gold frame.
